Here's the recipe... it's a adaptation/ revision of a recipe I developed for Fiery Foods & BBQ magazine a few years ago...
Canadian-style Bacon
1 (2 1/2-pound) center cut boneless pork loin (The one I used weighed 2 3/4 pounds.)
For the brine:
2 quarts water, divided
1 cup pure maple syrup, divided
1/2 cup (4.95 ounces or 140 grams) coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
4 Turkish bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, minced (about two teaspoons)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 level teaspoons pink salt
Remove any excess fat and silverskin from the loin.
Bring one quart of water to a simmer over medium heat. Omitting the pink salt, add the remaining brine ingredients and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup. Simmer and stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add the remaining quart of water and cool to 40 degrees F. Once the brine is cool add the pink salt and stir well to dissolve. Strain one cup of the brine, reserving solids.
Using a kitchen syringe, inject the pork loin with the brining solution (you want to inject 10 to 15 percent of the raw weight with the brine solution so for this loin I used one half cup of brining solution). Place the injected loin in a large nonreactive container. Cover with the remaining brine and the reserved brine solids. Refrigerate, covered, at least five days or up to seven days, turning every day.
After brining, soak the loin in cold water for at least one hour, changing the water every 30 minutes. Pat the loin dry and refrigerate, uncovered on a cooling rack over a half sheet pan, for one or two days to allow a pellicle to form.
Remove the loin from the refrigerator and season liberally with your favorite pork rub or Cajun seasoning. My recommendation is 1/2 to one tablespoon of rub per pound. Bring the loin to room temperature. I tied the loin with butcher’s twine to form a cylindrical roll but it’s not really necessary.
Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225 to 250 degrees F., using sugar maple wood (or whatever wood you prefer; I would not use mesquite or any heavily flavored wood). Fill a 12-inch A-Maze-N tube smoker with apple pellets and light. When the smoker and A-Maze-N tube smoker are stabilized, smoke the loin for one hour. Baste the loin with warmed maple syrup, turn over and baste the other side. Smoke the loin to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. (about two hours or so depending on the smoker temperature). Remove the loin from the smoker, baste with remaining maple syrup and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
After trimming and smoking, the loin weighed in at about two pounds so if you’re going to the time consuming process of making your own bacon, it’s probably a good idea to do either a full loin or a half loin.
Pan-fry or oven-roast the slices to your desired degree of doneness (you don’t want to overcook the bacon). The sliced, uncooked bacon may also be frozen between sheets of waxed paper and wrapped with plastic wrap or vacuum-sealed for up to six months.
Cooking Time Internal Temperature Pit temperature
0:00 65 degrees F. 210 degrees F.
0:30 70 degrees F. 203 degrees F.
1:00 104 degrees F. 232 degrees F.
1:30 127 degrees F. (basted and turned) 240 degrees F.
2:00 142 degrees F. 252 degrees F.
2:15 151 degrees F. 230 degrees F.
